There were duelling rallies at city hall Sunday in advance of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Members of Calgary’s Jewish community and those who wanted to support them gathered for a service to remember the 1,205 Israelis who were killed and the 251 who were abducted.
“My family was in Kibbutz Nirim spending eight hours in a safe room hiding from the terrorists,” says Dror Pery.
Attendees waved flags and recited the Kaddish prayer in memory of the dead.
Across the street a pro-Palestinian rally was held, where demonstrators waved flags and called for a ceasefire.
The Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry says almost 42 thousand Palestinians have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began.
One person told CTV News he has lost 47 family members over the last year and life is hard for those who remain in Gaza.
“There is no life there, …